After a number of years of dating, my friends and kungfu students, let's call them John and Jill, were getting married. Well sort of. They were actually officially married a while back, but due to the pandemic had not had any sort of ceremony. So, this weekend was the big event – which took place at Spillian, a wedding venue in the Catskill Mountains of New York. In this age of COVID, Spillian sent out a number of emails on behalf of their clients including one which asked all attendees to be certain that they had been fully vaccinated ahead of time, to be tested for COVID within 72 hours of the event, and to remember to wear masks inside. We were assured that all the staff were vaccinated and would be wearing masked when inside or serving food. Likewise, the email had stated that Spillian had had 22 wedding events to date that year with no one reporting sick with COVID afterwards. My wife and I felt that this would be a relatively safe place to be for our first large event in more than a year and a half.
Spillian is a former home of the Fleischmann’s, the family business that founded the now ubiquitous yeast that everyone has been using in their sourdough starters during the pandemic. Who wouldn’t want to know the origin of another microbial form of life that had also spread during the pandemic, albeit in a more wholesome and delicious way. This house was apparently one of several similar mansions built in the 1880s in Fleischmanns, New York, and the only surviving one that didn’t burn down in the early 1920s and 1930s.
Although Spillian was previously known for programs, events, and seminars, since the pandemic, Spillian has been specializing in weddings sometimes doing two in a weekend. The venue is well suited to the post or mid-pandemic world in that it is located on a large property with an outdoor theater, campfire glade, and trails. Likewise the house itself has a spacious veranda from which food can be served.
Looking out from the house toward the grove where the ceremony and the dining took place.
When we arrived we parked in a gravel lot perhaps 100 meters from the house, and walked up to the veranda in front of which the bride and groom were being photographed. As we went inside, we noted that the staff was busy as bees getting everything ready and that they were masked. However, there were no vaccination or test checks, and a number of attendees were not wearing masks inside. Considering that the temperature had just taken a dip from the mid sixties (F) earlier in the week to the mid fourties with the threat of mist and light rain, we presumed that people were just going inside to avoid the weather, and given that champagne was being served left and right, people were just not masking up. We stayed masked as we chatted with the parents of the bride whom we had known for many years. They were NOT masked but they were vaccinated, and this came up in conversation.
Inside the 1880s era mansion. Styling was fantastic - but the wedding party was not enforcing masking, perhaps because they trusted each other.
As more people were arriving, my wife and I went out to hang out on the veranda and take in the sights. Some of the staff came by, and one of them seemed to be in charge. As he finished pointing and directing, I asked him if he had a minute or two to chat about their operation during COVID, adding that we could talk later when things had calmed down a bit. Miguel introduced himself as a manager, and was happy to chat, noting that things were well under control (after all weddings were what they did these days, so they had it down to a science). He confirmed what the email had said about the staff, but then noted that enforcement of mask mandates and the like for guests was up to the wedding party, not the venue. He also noted that they enthusiastically followed the State of New York rules regarding COVID. When I asked the dicey question about if employees got paid sick time, he said that Spillian was a small shop with most of the full time employees being salaried, and that such was fairly typical in this line of work. This meant the answer was yes – you could be certain that your servers were not nursing COVID or the flu when on duty. Furthermore, he reinforced the message that they were running safe events based on their track record.
Then the wedding happened outdoors. Guests were seated shoulder to shoulder on benches in the “theater” space, and fifteen minutes later, people went back to the house and were served hors d’oevres on the veranda. By now people had gotten used to the idea that it was cold out and so donned hats, furs, and coats. I myself wore my thick woolen Estonian sweater and matching hat under my jacket. And rather than stay inside, perhaps three quarters of the guests were outside in various places chowing down on the excellent provisions.
There were more photos. When one of the servers brought hot coffee to the bride and groom, my wife and I went to look for its source, and found it in the bonfire glade where dinner was being set up. We chatted more with Miguel who was prepping the bonfire, and nursed our hot coffee to keep our hands and insides warm. It was probably now into the high 30s in temperature.
This is where most of the action took place - out of doors - and so although guests were unmasked out here, the air was brisk and there was plenty of space.
Then, in short order the guests started pouring down from the house and dinner was served. As before, the servers all had masks on. Tables were called one by one to be served their food from the serving line which queued under a tent, and then guests returned to their tables facing round a bonfire. The food was fantastic, and there were plenty of options for vegetarians and meat eaters alike. As people pushed back from the table satiated, the usual post-wedding traditions were carried out as the bonfire blazed on driving away the chill and damp.
Smoke from the bonfire lit up by blue LEDs with a candelabra in the foreground.
The Great:
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Miguel – this guy knows his stuff and Spillian is lucky to have him! He’s friendly and knowlegable.
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The food – the dinner had delicious options for all manners of diets and was not your usual boring wedding fare (surf or turf?)
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Employees were masked the whole time when anywhere near guests outside, and always masked when inside.
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The outdoor venue – given the cold weather, Spillian proved that they know what they’re doing and kept the guests happy and comfortable
The Good:
The OK